cellist & conductor

Michael Dahlenburg is a sought after conductor and cellist based in Melbourne, Australia. He studied cello with Howard Penny at the Australian National Academy of Music and Molly Kadarauch at the University of Melbourne–Conservatorium of Music.

As a cellist, Michael is in demand nationally and internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, recording artist and teacher. He has worked with international musicians such as Pekka Kuusisto, Steve Davislim, Li Wei Qin, Dale Barltrop, Andrew Haveron, Marisol Lee, Young Kwon Choi, Eoin Andersen, and William Hennessy. He has worked as a cellist and conductor with organisations such as the Australian String Quartet, Flinders Quartet, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, ACO2, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. He is principal cellist of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.

Michael was ACO’s Emerging Artist in 2008 and was a founding member of the acclaimed Hamer Quartet, that won First Prize, Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2009 Asia-Pacific Chamber Competition. In 2009 Hamer Quartet was named in ‘The Age’ magazines Top 100 Most Influential, and also named in Limelight magazine awards the same year as Best Newcomer. He has given performances at numerous festivals and concert halls around the world including Australia, UK, Italy, France, Germany, China, Spain, South Korea, and New Zealand. He has studied chamber music with Gerhard Schulz, Paul Katz, András Kellar, Heime Müller, Barbara Westphal, Hatto Beyerle, William Hennessy, Artemis, Tokyo, Jerusalem Quartets and many others. Michael is also member of ARTARIA, an ensemble with Celia Craig, Elizabeth Layton, Anne Horton and Caroline Henbest, whose debut CD launched in 2018 to critical acclaim.

Michael plays a 1780 J Charles donated by Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, the Tallis Foundation, Hamer Family Fund, and other private donors. He would also like to thank Merv Dickey for commissioning his 2015 Ersen Aycan cello.

Michael studied conducting with John Hopkins at University of Melbourne and Maestro Christopher Seamen as a member of Symphony Services International, working with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia.

Michael has been a regular guest conductor of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra since 2012. He has also conducted the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, orchestras for arts organisations such as Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne Youth Orchestras, State Music Camp, Youth Philharmonic Melbourne, Corpus Medicorum, Stonnington Symphony, and Australian Medical Students Orchestra.